Ukrainian GM Alexander Moiseenko won the Edmonton International Chess Festival (July 31-August 4) with an undefeated 7/9 score. In close 2nd was Alexander Shabalov with 6.5. GM Ganguly from India and myself tied for 3rd with 5.5/9. Other strong players included GM Mark Bluvshtein of Canada, GM Jesse Kraai from the US, and IMs Porper, Hungaski, and Gerzhoy. The field was rounded out by strong juniors and local masters and experts. While not category 26, it was a well-rounded, balanced field. The tournament took place at the Edmonton Chess Club, which is near downtown of Alberta’s capital city. The GMs stayed at this nice B&B about 6 blocks from the hotel, while most of the rest who weren’t local stayed at MacEwan Community College, which was about a mile and a half away. Unfortunately this included me, as I’m not officially a GM yet. Seriously though, the organizers were very accommodating to the players. Even as an IM I got room and some expenses paid for, which is a lot more than at most tournaments I’ve played in. Also they were very good at providing rides for the players when needed, as well as catering to other needs. The playing site was also quite nice, and had everything provided for, including nice sets, clocks, recording materials, drinks (including coffee, thankfully), and snacks.

Well not to worry, I’ll get to the chess soon enough. First though, a bit on my getting there. I figured Canada would be a simple enough place to get in to. It was a mere 2.5 hour flight away from San Francisco, and the line for customs was nonexistent. However, when I got up to the guy to give him my passport, he apparently thought I was a suspicious character. I got sent to immigration, where the guy asked me a bunch of questions regarding criminal activity in the United States, had I ever been arrested for a crime, had I ever crossed the street without waiting for the walk sign, etc. Then I had to show him my itinerary, which of course I forgot to print out, so I had to pull up my computer and get it from my email. Finally, after about ten minutes, I was allowed to get into Canada. At first I was mad because I thought they singled me out, but then I came out of the customs area and saw Alex Shabalov wearing a cast, and I realized it went a lot easier than it could have.

Alright on to the chess. Moiseenko won the tournament very nicely. He had five wins and four draws, didn’t really come close to losing, and was pretty much the definition of a pro. Despite this, Alex Shabalov has outdistanced such players before. He came up half a point short this tournament, however. He scored six wins, but lost two games as well, and was unable to catch the Ukrainian GM in the last round. GM Surya Ganguly and myself took 3rd-4th, but it was definitely a disappointing performance for both of us. In my case, I got several promising positions, but botched far too many to have a successful tournament. A strong performance was also turned in by FM Raja Panjwani from Toronto. Raja is one of Canada’s top talents, and really showed what he was capable of this tournament. He started with 2.5/3, including a win over Shabalov and draw with me. While he dropped back from the top of the standings, he finished with a respectable 5/9, and achieved his first IM norm. If he continues to play like he did here I have no doubt the rest will come fairly soon. Well, I’d say that’s enough out of me, on to some games.

The only game I saw in which GM Moiseenko was in trouble was his 2nd round game against Canadian Jr. Bindi Cheng. He seemed fine after an odd opening, but then looked to be in trouble. However, he defended extremely well, and was even pushing towards the end, forcing his opponent to find the right moves to draw.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3 Qxb2 5.Bd2 Qb6 6.e4 e5 7.f4 d6 8.f5 g6 9.Qf3 gxf5 10.Bb5+ Nbd7 11.exf5 a6 12.Be2 Rg8 13.Nh3 Qd8 14.a4 e4 15.Qf4 Rxg2 16.Ng5 Ne5 17.Kf1

This was a key game in the tournament. It brought Shabalov into the fight for first, and really dealt a blow to my tournament hopes. It was a topsy-turvy game, with the advantage passing back and forth like a Frisbee. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.Nbd2 exd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.d5 Nce5 15.Nh2 Ng6 16.g3 Nf6 17.h4 Qd7
I prepared this idea awhile back, though it was a bit hazy in my mind during the game. Shabalov, however, found an idea that basically refutes it.

18.a4!! Qh3 19.Bd3
This is the idea, he puts pressure on b5, and prepares to kick the queen with Bf1 at the same time. 19...Ng4 20.Ndf3 Nxh2 21.Nxh2 c4 22.Bf1 Qd7
This is a desperate idea, but i couldn't think of anything else. 23.axb5 Qxb5 24.Re3?
24.f4 looked simplest to me, after which I have no idea what I'm doing.24...Bf6 25.f4 Qc5
Now matters are complicated. 26.Qe1 Bd4
I really don't want to take this exchange, but at the time I didn't see an alternative. 26...Re8 looks like a safer alternative in retrospect, now for instance 27.h5 Nf8 28.Kh1 Bd4 and my knight on f8 is quite a bit better than on e7. 27.h5 Ne7 28.Nf3 Bxe3+ 29.Bxe3 Qc7 30.h6
30.f5 looks like a better move order, as now I don't have the f5 resource as in the game.30...f5 31.hxg7 Re8 32.Qc3
32.Qe2 fxe4 33.Ng5 is what the computer likes, and looks very good for white. 32...fxe4
Now matters aren't clear.
33.Nd4 Nf5 34.Nxf5 Bxf5 35.Bd4 Qf7
and now I'm starting to pick up the initiative myself! 36.Bxc4 Qh5 37.b3 e3 38.Re1 e2
38...Be4 looks strong, but after 39.Rxe3 Qh1+ 40.Kf2 Qg2+ 41.Ke1 Bf3 42.Re6 it isn't so easy to win. 39.Bf6 Be4 40.Bh4 Bxd5??
Here I just toss away the game in one move. 40...Rac8 and I should be winning without too much trouble.41.Qa5 Rac8 42.Bxd5+ Kxg7 43.Qa1+ 1–0